


Family Trials

by orphan_account



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Parentlock
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-12
Updated: 2014-04-04
Packaged: 2018-01-18 03:18:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1413070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-HLV. As a result of complications in childbirth, Mary dies. John and the baby move back into 221B and the transition causes growing pains for everybody. Hilarity and danger ensue, as they always do when John and Sherlock are together. Maybe having a baby won’t change things so much after all…</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family Trials

There was a knock at the door.

“Someone’s dead” Sherlock Holmes announced, still not out of the habit of talking to John even though he was no longer with Sherlock, but was instead living with Mary. The silence after Sherlock’s proclamation hung heavy in the air, just like it always did. The ache of missing John only seemed to be growing stronger – how had John survived those two years thinking he was dead?

Sherlock shook his head. If Lestrade thought Sherlock was upset he would want to talk to him about it, and there was no way Sherlock was having that conversation again. Flinging the door open, arranging his face into a cold mask of indifference, he was unsurprised to see Detective Inspector Lestrade standing there. “So, who’s been killed today?” Sherlock asked. “Faked suicide? Impossible murder? Mysterious – “

“No.” Lestrade cut him off. “Mary’s dead”.

Sherlock wasn’t sure what to do. His immediate reaction was jubilation – Mary was always a threat to John’s safety, whether she wanted to do him harm or not her past could always come back, but there was the baby to think of, and how John would be feeling about all of this.

“How… how did it happen?” Sherlock asked uncertainly.

Lestrade fiddled nervously with his hat. “There were some complications with the birth… the baby’s fine, but Mary didn’t make it. I know you’re busy with the Moriarty conundrum, and you and John haven’t been on the best of terms lately, but…”

Sherlock had disappeared into the flat, already pulling on his coat (collar propped, it would be reassuring for John to see him like that). There had been no sign of Moriarty since he appeared on screens all over London, and John was more important right now. There was obviously something more to the story, George was acting so nervous, but he filed it away in his mind palace to deal with later. John needed him; that was all that mattered now. 

The ride to the hospital seemed to take ages. Why did Garrick have to drive so slowly, didn’t he realize this was important? When they finally arrived Sherlock strode confidently through the doors, but then stopped suddenly. What if John didn’t want to see him? They hadn’t really spoken since Sherlock’s brief plane trip…

Thankfully, Sherlock was drawn out of his spiralling thoughts by short passion wrapping around him. Lost in his reverie, it took Sherlock a moment to reciprocate John’s hug and when he finally managed it he was awkward and angular. Thankfully, John didn’t seem to mind.

“This better not be a bloody trick”, John muttered into Sherlock’s chest.

Sherlock took a step back and bent down so he was looking John right in the eye. “I swear to you John, this is not a trick. I’m sorry, but Mary really is gone.” Then, knowing John needed someone to take care of, “where’s the baby?”

John straightened and nodded, looking a bit more like himself. He choked out a “follow me”, and led Sherlock to the NICU. As they stared in at the tiny forms of all the babies and John pointed out the little girl who belonged solely to him now, he began to speak hesitantly.

“I’ve… I’ve been… I’ve been thinking. It’s… It’s not really fair of me… not really fair for me to, um, k— ”

Sherlock’s head snapped up. John really could be such an idiot some times. “Keep her? Of course you’ll keep her. You’ll move back into 221B where Mrs. Hudson can babysit and Mycroft already has security— ”

Here John cut in, “You don’t need to do this, Sherlock.”

Sherlock snorted angrily. Why did John have to be so stubborn about everything? “I don’t need to. I want to. You’re my…” Here, Sherlock stuttered slightly, “you’re my best friend John. I’m not good at all this “friends” stuff, but that doesn’t mean I’m unwilling to try. Let me help you.” 

“Oh yeah, does that mean you’ll be making the tea from now on?” Tears stained John’s cheeks, but he was smiling.

Sherlock smirked, “don’t push it.”

Almost laughing now, John gestured to the room, “shall we meet the baby then?”

**Author's Note:**

> In the original version of this story I just sort of casually killed off Mycroft and I didn’t really have a place in canon to put my story, but HLV has solved those problems for me! I think it’s probably a better story now, although I feel like it’s kind of lost the interest factor because Parent!lock has surely become more common after season 3. Maybe one day I’ll post the alternate version, and you guys can let me know which you prefer!


End file.
